Utah Valley Marathon

Clay and I decided to run the Utah Valley Half Marathon yesterday. It was Clay's first half marathon, and he was incredible. He was patient with my two bathroom stops and stayed positive throughout our training, even when I wasn't feeling motivated.

It was pretty cool to be able to make a physical goal like this together and to train for it and accomplish it as a couple.

We sprinted for the last 200 yards because once you see that finish line, you just want to get there! Kind of like when you give birth. :) We ran just over 9-minute miles, which we were happy with since we only trained for three weeks and didn't work on speed.

This was a fun race, especially because I ran it with Clay. But in all honesty, I liked the Hobble Creek Half a lot better because there were so many people cheering us on almost the whole way and there was just a stronger feeling of hype and unity. Maybe the fact that it is only a half and not a marathon like Utah Valley Marathon has something to do with it? Also, I have run in Provo so much that the course wasn't super exciting for me, although it was gorgeous running down the canyon. 

Now that I have run three halfs within a year, I am kind of getting sick of running and I crave variety during training, so I think Clay and I are going to shoot for a sprint triathalon this summer. Now I just have to learn how to swim and we have to find us some bikes.

After the race, we went to breakfast at Magleby's with my mom and stepdad, who watched Ellie while we ran. Then we hit the farmer's market—one of my favorite summer pastimes—then took Ellie to the pool. She was in heaven. We are so happy summer is finally here!

Date Night—A Rare Luxury

Clay and I escaped on a date the other night to the Rooftop Concert Series. Mindy Gledhill and Meaghan Smith performed and were amazing.

{P.S. I semi-chopped my hair. You likey?}

The most entertaining part of the night was the engaged couple who stood smack dab in front of us throughout the night and openly displayed their affection. 

We also got to sit by this cute little guy, who wasn't nearly as slobbery.

It was so nice to get out even for a couple of hours. Do you keep a weekly date night? If so, I wanna know how you make it happen—especially if you have kids!



Uphill Battle

 So, I decided to get into cycling.

Just kidding! I think that would be fun, but in these pictures I am only pretending to be a cyclist. I was part of the cast of "Uphill Battle," a film by Illumin8ed Productions about a woman who gets into cycling to help her get through a hard divorce.

 My little sister, who is a real cyclist, lent me all her gear and her awesome bike. The location was just down the road from my mom's house, so we spent the night there and I got up really early the next morning for the shoot.

The director (middle) has 9 young kids and sells real estate with her husband in addition to producing films! The girl on the right, Shelby (the lead in the film) is an amazing woman from Idaho who has five kids.

It is so fascinating to me to be on a film set. I love all the different personalities and talents that come together to make a cool end product. I wrote a little more about this experience here.

News

Looks like I took a month off blogging. Well, I'm back with the announcement of . . .

The summer issue of Latter Day Woman Magazine.  

A few reasons I'm excited about it:

• We are giving away two swimsuits and a getaway (I've mentioned this before, but not a ton of people enter, so your chances are amazing!). 

• We have a swimsuit guide to help you find a really cute swimsuit this season.

• There are some really fun articles in this issue including new ways to exercise, fun summer activities for couples and families and how to be supermom and superwife at the same time.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Puerto Rico

Last week, Clay and I tucked Ellie into bed at her grandma and grandpa's and left early the next morning to Puerto Rico with the BYU men's soccer team. I rocked Ellie extra long and maybe got a little teary-eyed, knowing I wouldn't see her for six days. But once we were on our trip, I was surprised at how easy it was for me to put both feet in the moment and fully enjoy my child-free vacation with my husband.
 





Day 1: Beach









Day 2: We went to the mall to see the local missionaries do a mob flash—they randomly broke into song in the middle of a busy food court:

Day 3: We went to a picturesque little town called Mayaguez—our hotel? Not as picturesque. The "Hotel Oasis" was a little too generous of a title. But it was a fun experience to stay there, even though I was really itchy all over the next day.

Random shots of Bayamon, Mayaguez & Old San Juan

At the game that night, some of the soccer guys did a little rally and took down a fence at the end:

Day 4: Our day in Old San Juan ws my favorite part of the trip. It was such a cool city and had some great photo opps. I loved how colorful the buildings were.  

This trip awakened in me a love for scenic & arcitectural photography.

 

Puerto Rico was such a memorable trip for us. It is always a blast to travel with the BYU soccer team.

A Dating Story

Today, Clay and I celebrate five years of being a Mr. and Mrs.

We first met two weeks after a 4-year boyfriend and I broke up. Clay called my friend, Karlee, but I answered. We chatted and I invited him to a party. He brought a mob of friends and got my number on his way out.

There's some controversy over our first date. He says, "It wasn't a date—it was a hangout." I say, "Pish posh." I remember being taken back by his humility (even though everywhere we went, multiple people said "hi" to him) and his killer smile.

After our first date, I may have Googled him. His name came up a lot because he was well-known in the soccer community. I kind of felt like i was dating a celebrity—especially after I substitute taught at his alma mater (Jordan High) and saw his jersey retired on the wall next to his photo.

After a year of dating, we got engaged. Six months later, we tied the knot. We've made some pretty awesome memories.

All Grown Up



Ellie is really into accessories right now. She asks to put on glasses, bracelets, hairclips, necklaces and hats all day long and when I say she looks cute, she tilts her head, bats her eyes and repeats "cute!" Such a girl.

She asks to draw multiple times throughout the day, then scribbles away. Thank goodness for washable crayons, because once in awhile she likes to try out her artistic skills on her clothes. Oh, and all it took to get her to wear that headband was me putting it on first and saying how cute I looked. She had to have it for herself after that. It works like a charm every time. :)

Just cartin' around her miniature poodle. What a diva.

She loves to stand and dance. She walks, but only once in awhile. She prefers holding one of my hands or pushing her stroller or the shopping cart. In fact, she refuses to sit in shopping carts now and demands that she pushes it herself. When people walk past all they see is a phantom cart pushing itself along . . .

I can't get over her pouty model face in this picture.

Had to sneak some shots of the mini skirt I made for her.

This is the cheeser face Ellie puts on every single time I park the car and go to get her from her car seat. Her eyes are squinched and all her gapped little teeth are showing. I don't know where this comes from but it cracks me up every time. My sisters say she is "SO" my daughter.